Need tips on bow hunting, first year

[dkraemer96]

I'm 16 and im finally getting my hunters safety done, and I'm going to apply for a deer license so any tips or tricks to make myself a efficient hunter. Any tips, tricks, or what to look for would be helpful.

[Dewey]

You came to the right place! Wish I had this wealth of knowledge shared here when I was your age.

I would suggest being a student of the Hunting Beast and pay very close attention to everything that is discussed here. Some of the best hunters around frequent here and there is so much great information shared it is unbelievable.

Read back on old posts and soak it all in but try not to make things too complicated as you start out. Keep things simple and pay attention to the details.

I would suggest buying the Marsh Bucks or Hill Country DVD's in the store. These alone will cut years off your learning curve and will explain things much better by seeing it with your own eyes and applying it to were you hunt.

Glad to have you here and good luck as you start your hunting career. Any questions about anything in particular don't be afraid to ask. We would all be more than happy to help you out.

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[NatureBoy]

Safety first. You will become efficient with practice. Don't set the bar too high for yourself and be happy with a clean kill, no matter the size of the deer. Do things right, don't cut corners to score. Don't buy a bunch of gadgets. Start off with your bow, arrows, release (if you're shooting compound), rangefinder knife, flashlight and compass. You'll find out what you need in addition to that as you go along.

[Brad]

Welcome to the beast! You have a huge advantage right now, you have no bad habits to unlearn and push aside, so that will help you out a lot. Now with that said I would hunt the way most of us on here are doing, it will do nothing but good for you and will shave years off of the learning curve. Now with that said my best two tidbits of advice for a beginning bowhunter is this, number one do not be afraid to kill any deer, any deer is a trophy with a bow, regardless of what is portrayed on tv. Get some deer under your belt (bucks and does) before you try to build on that foundation. If you try to jump to only hunting monster deer you may get frustrated with the lack of gratification you get and start to let negative thoughts slip in. Set up like you want to kill a mature buck but if a 4 point comes along first do not think you should have to pass that deer because of his size. Only you can pick the right deer and you will know the right deer when you see them. mt second tip is forget about trying to hunt the way people do on TV. This took me years to do, I compared my results against theirs and felt I was doing something wrong. I was, I was comparing my hunting to people who have access to the best ground available to hunt, so we were not even close to comparing apples to apples. The deer on TV receive little if any pressure, so they are essentially another type of animal. Forget about hunting on the edges of fields like you see now, you will kill some deer on those spots but you will do better in thicker brush, they can't do that on TV because its too hard to film. Also, keep in mind nearly every "professional" hunter is trying to sell you something, so be careful of the "advice" you follow as most of it revolves around sponsor money. You do not need all the gadgets that are shown on TV and in the magazines, they are designed to attract hunters, not deer. Everything has its place but you would be wiser to invest your time and money into gas for scouting trips, map making, boots etc. There is no free ride in bowhunting, you get out of it what you put into it. If you put it the time and effort you will reap what you sow, if you don't you will be unsuccessful more times than not. Those are my two tips, but they should put you well ahead of the game if you follow both of them and build off them.

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[nmueller1717]

Do you know where to put a stand based on deer sign?

[Bowhunting Brian]

first off, have fun!!!! don't put a lot of pressure on yourself. you will learn a lot here and a lot out in the woods. good luck this year.

[dkraemer96]

Do you think that I'm in over my head starting at this age with no one guiding me.

[NatureBoy]

Do you think that I'm in over my head starting at this age with no one guiding me.

That all depends on you. By 16 I was making my own longbows and hunting with them, and no one was guiding me per-say. I was learning on my own. In the 1860's a lot of young men your age were fighting in the CW. You know what I mean? If you're responsible and safety conscious, you'll do fine. Plus, on here there's tons of accomplished bow hunters to "guide" you.

[Brad]

The sooner you dive in the sooner you will kill one, just have fun and keep an open mind and always try to learn something new every time in the woods. Things will start coming together for you slowly but surely.

Do you think that I'm in over my head starting at this age with no one guiding me.

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[FRH]

For me the best learning tool is making mistakes. You have more than enough help from the people on here but when it comes down to it you are the one hunting. Don't be afraid to try new things and naybe push yourself every now and then. If you screw something up tgen next time you will know what you can and can't get away with. Pay attention to the details. The little things can make a big difference.

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[Bucky]

Welcome man... 16 is the perfect age. Just be careful setting tree stands. It might help if you bring a buddy along the first few times for safety. I would say at your age focus on food... corn, acorns, alfalfa, soy beans. Be as good a shot as you can be with practice first then take it to the woods. Time will teach you how to become proficient at setting stands to kill (just observe the deer and try to make a move on em)... The Beast will definetly help... heck if you lived closer I would take you hunting!


You hunting private or public? If private try to get a picture of an aerial up and we will help ya out on where to sit, wind, and how to walk to and from the stand

[Edcyclopedia]

[glow=red]Safety first.[/glow]
You will become efficient with practice. Don't set the bar too high for yourself and be happy with a clean kill, no matter the size of the deer. Do things right, don't cut corners to score. Don't buy a bunch of gadgets. Start off with your bow, arrows, release (if you're shooting compound), rangefinder knife, flashlight and compass. You'll find out what you need in addition to that as you go along.

Gr8 answers / advice - All of them!

[xpauliber]

Have you ever been out in the woods scouting or is that a first for you also?

If you are new to hunting all together and have never been out scouting, talk to one of your buddies at school that hunts and have them and their dad take you out in the woods and show you some deer sign.

You need to learn to identify what deer sign looks like and it would be ALOT easier to have someone show you the first time you go scouting. Have them show you what a deer trail looks like. Have them show you a deer track and how you can tell the direction the deer is traveling by looking at the track. Look for rubs, scrapes, poop, and acorns. Learning to identify this sign will let you know that you are hunting in the right area.

The next step would be to identify where you are going to hunt this year. Is it all wooded or are there fields around? If there are fields around, are there any crops planted in them? For a first year hunter, you are going to need to focus on hunting where deer will be going to feed.

I would call the nearest state park near you and talk to a park ranger. Ask him/her what deer in your area like to feed on. Different areas of the country have different things deer feed on. Your local ranger should know and be able to point you in the right direction.

After you identify a place to hunt, deer sign, and food sources in your hunting area, come back here and ask questions. TONS of great guys on this site that will be more than willing to help you out.

Best of luck this year and welcome to the BEAST!

[DEERSLAYER]

What kind of terrain do you expect to hunt? Swamp, marsh, hill country, flat land, farm country? Do you have any of Dan's video's?

[dan]

Do you think that I'm in over my head starting at this age with no one guiding me.

The woods and deer are the best teacher... Just go out there and have fun. If you get a deer great, if not, it don't matter, just have fun with it.